Lower door guide for sliding and folding doors



Feb. 6, 1923. 1,444,349

R. R. LEEDS LOWER DOOR AGUIDE FOR SLIDING AND FOLDING DOORS FILED DEC.8.1921

Patente-d `Feb. 6, 1923.

TE 'I Afl' ROBERT E. LEEDS, OF ASHLAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'IO THE 'IOPPING MFG. COMPANY, OF ASHLAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

LOWER DOOR GUIDE FOR SLIDING AND FOLDING DOORS.

Application led December 8, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. LEEDS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Lower Door Guide for Sliding and Folding Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a lower door guide for sliding or folding doors.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a lower door guide which will be simple and efficient in use.

It is a more specific object to provide a door guide having one or more removable Hoor plates whereby the interior of the guide may be exposed for cleaning and for the insertion or removal of a guide roller below the floor line.

It is a further specific object to provide a lower door guide having a trough-like pocket extending along the lower portion thereof, wherein the, dirt and dust getting into the guide will collect and may be readily remo-ved.

Other objects will appear as the specification proceeds.

The above objects may be attained by the constructions shown in the accompanying illustrative drawings forming a part of this specification.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a partially diagrammatic view of a series of sliding and folding doors.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the doors shown in Fig. 1, parts being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, parts being shown in elevation and parts being broken away.

Figs. el and 5 are fragmentary cross sectional views of modified forms of lower door guides.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a connection between two folding doors and show-A in a supporting roller.

ig. 7 is a fragmentary view of sectional lioor plates.

In said drawings, 10-1112 indicate three sliding and folding doors hinged to each other and to a door 13 and, if desired, the latter may be pivoted toa suitable frame or mullion 14. Obviously, a greater or lesser number of doors may be employed,

Serial No. 520,937.

and the doors may be hinged together in pairs or in other combinations. The swinging edges of the doors 11 and 13 may, if desired, be provided with supporting rollers 15 secured to the lower edges thereof and which may run along the floor during the folding of the doors.

Each of the sliding doors may be supported from the top in any suitable manner, as by means of the hanger bracket 16 supported from a suitable beam or other desired support 17. A description of the supporting and guiding means for one sliding door will suffice for all, since they are all similarl supported and guided. One or more ro lers 18 run on tracks in the hanger bracket and a sustaining rod 19 is suspended from the rollers and engages the door 12. A rotatable connection is provided between the rollers 18 and door 12, and, in the form shown, this connection includes the thrust anti-friction bearing 20. It will thus be seen that the door may rotate relatively to the rollers 18, and the entire door may be bodily slid along on said rollers. If desired, suitable adjusting means may be provided for raising or lowering the door, one means being the. nut 21 threaded on the lower end of the rod 19.

The lower end of each door extends downwardly in proximity to the floor, and a stem 22 preferably extends from the lower side of each door to a point below the ioor level and into my improved lower door guide. As disclosed in Fig. 3, the lower door guide may comprise a trough like receptacle including side plates 23-23 and a trough like `pocket 24 having the inclined sides 25-25.

The f ree end of the stem 22 may be provided with an anti-friction roller 26 which is preferably of smaller diameter than the distance between the side plates 23 so that the roller may contact with either side plate but not with both plates at the same time. This anti-friction roller and side plates serve to guide the lower end of the door. The trough like receptacle just described may be suitably anchored to a support and in the form disclosed, inclined anchor legs 27-27 have been shown. If the door guide is to be ernbedded in concrete, the legs 27 may constitute anchor members. If the door guide is to be supported on suitable sills or sleepers,

it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the anchor members will preferably extend' horizontally las indicatedV at 2S.

Above the trough like receptacle are a pail` of floor plates 30*30. @ne or both of these plates are preferably removable, and l hare disclosed the plates as being removably supported above the trough like receptacle and secured thereto asby means'of screws il-$31, The plates are preferably of such width as to extend in proximity' to the stem 22 on the door. As herein disclosed, the floor plates 30 may be removed and any collection of dust and dirt may be easily scraped out of thetrough like receptacle and pocket '2ilt will be obvious that if desired, the roller 26 on the stem 22 may be dispensed with, in which case, the end of the stein will be guided between the adjacent edges of the Vfloor plates S30-30.

Inthe modii'ication shown in Fig. Li, the track plates 391-32' and the trough like pocket ,33` are made as separate elements. These elements may be held in properrelative position by means lof one or more supporting side plates 3d-34, and anchor members 35 lmay' be provided as hereinbefore described.` The floor plates 36-36 may be removably secured to parts of Vthe trough like .receptacle as by means of vscrews 37.

In Vthe .modification shown in Fig. 5, the side plates .Siae-37a are supported from or extenddown to a sill or sleeper 38. The surface of the sleeper is recessed or channeled as at .39 to form a pocket serving the same function as the pockets hereinbefore described. In this modification, the removable floor plates LCL-4:() are secured tothe side plates as by means of screws 41.

For wide door openings it is often desirabletomake each of the floor plates in sections.

In Fig. 7 lf have disclosed floor plates formed Iin sections 42-l3, and the sections have interlocking engagement with each other as indicated ated. This interlocking engagement insuresthe proper alignment of the separate sections of each ioor plate and guards against the danger of having one sec- .tion v.project .beyond .the other so as to offer pbstruction to the free passage .of the stem .+2

. `The Aoperationvof Ithe. device will be obvious. Thedoors aresimply folded and slide toward .the left as viewedin Fig--2, theuplperends of the doors being carried and guided by the upper hanger bracket and rollers, and the lower ends of the doors being guided by the lower door guide. If the .end door is not pivoted to `a stationary part the ldoors may fold or slide lin eitheror both directions, as desired.

While I have disclosed. `the invention `as ,applied .to doors which both slide and fold,

" Ido not wish to be confined thereto, since obviously the invention is applicable to any type of sliding door.

Various forms embodying my invention have been disclosed herein, but l do not wish to be confined thereto, since many modifica tions may be made within .the Vscope Vof the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

l claim:

l. ln a device ofthe character described, in combination with a sliding door, a pair of side plates, a trough like pocket below said side plates, means for anchoring said plates and pocket to a support, a pair of opposed. floor plates removably Vsecured above said side plates, a stem projecting downwardly from the door and between said licor plates, and a roller carried `by said stem and positioned between said side plates.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination with a sliding door, a trough like receptacle supported below the lower end of the door, a stem projecting from the lower end of the door and into said trough like receptacle, a floor Vplate supported above said receptacle and extending into proximity to said stem, said floor plate being removable while the door is in operative position, whereby the troughjlike receptacle may be exposed for cleaning.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination with a sliding door having a stem projecting from the lower end thereof, a pair of side plates, a pair of floor plates removably secured to saidV side plates and embracing the stem on the door, anda trough like pocket Abelow said stem.

t. As an article of manufacture, alower door guide including side plates, a trough likefpocket below said side plates, and a pair of floor plates removably secured to said side plates.

5. As an article of manufacture, a lower 8. As an article of manufacture, a lower door guide including a trough'like receptacle having a pocket extending longitudi- -nally along the lower end thereof, and a floor plate removably secured to said trough like receptacle. y

9. As an article of manufacture. a lower door guide including a trough like receptacle having a pocket extending alongthe lower end thereof, floor plates removably secured to said trough like receptacle, and anchor members Carried by said trough like receptacle.

l0. As an article of manufacture, a lower door guide including a trough-like recep; tacle, and asectonal Hoor plate on said receptacle, the ends of the sections of said plate abutting each other end to end.

l1. As an article of manufact-ure, a lower 10 door guide including a pair of side plates, and a floor plate removablyT secured to one of said side plates.

ROBERT R. LEEDS. 

